The 8 Best Upright Vacuums for Carpet Cleaning, Ranked & Reviewed

Our verdict: The best all-rounder, with a powered Lift-Away, a HEPA filter and pet tools.

The NV752 is a bagless upright with a Powered Lift-Away design, a HEPA filter, a large dust cup and LED headlights. It comes with an upholstery tool, a Perfect Pet Power Brush and a crevice tool.

It ranks first because it handles both big rooms and the small jobs that follow. Lift-Away means the pod detaches from the base so you can clean stairs or furniture without a second vacuum. Powered means the brush roll keeps spinning in this mode. LED headlights help you spot hair and crumbs on dark carpet. The tradeoff against the bagged Kenmore is that you empty a dust cup by hand, which sends fine dust into the air.

Buy it if you have pets and mixed floors. Skip it if you are sensitive to dust and prefer a sealed bag.

Type

Bagless upright, Powered Lift-Away

Filtration

HEPA filter

Pet tools

Perfect Pet Power Brush

Extras

LED headlights, upholstery and crevice tools

Our verdict: Bagged, beltless and Triple HEPA with 5 height positions.

The Kenmore Elite 31150 is a bagged, beltless upright with Triple HEPA filtration, a 3D inducer motor, a telescoping wand, a Pet Handi-Mate and five height positions. Three cleaning tools are included.

It ranks second because a sealed bag is the best design for people with allergies, since the dust goes into the bag and stays there when you throw it out. Beltless means no drive belt to stretch or snap, a common failure point. Five-position height adjustment suits low shag, standard pile and bare floors. It sits behind the Shark because it does not have a Lift-Away pod, and bags are an ongoing cost.

Choose it if you want a sealed system and strong filtration. Skip it if you dislike buying bags.

Type

Bagged beltless upright

Filtration

Triple HEPA

Height

5-position adjustment

Extras

Telescoping wand, Pet Handi-Mate, 3 tools

Our verdict: A commercial-grade upright built for heavy daily carpet use.

The Sanitaire Force SC5845D is a commercial upright vacuum. The listing gives few specifications, but the commercial classification signals a machine designed for offices, hotels and rental properties.

It ranks third because commercial uprights prize durability and straightforward serviceability over features. They generally have a metal or heavy-duty frame, easy-to-swap bags and belts, and a simple switch layout. What you give up compared with a home model is the tool set and pet attachments. It costs between $200 and $500, which is on par with the Shark and Kenmore.

Buy it if you clean a lot of carpet and want a no-fuss machine. Skip it if you need attachments for stairs and upholstery.

Class

Commercial upright

Series

Sanitaire Force

Model

SC5845D

Price bucket

$200 to $500

Our verdict: A HEPA pet upright with a Lift-Off pod, at a mid-range price.

The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off 39883 pairs a HEPA filter with a Lift-Off pod, aimed at pet owners. The listing does not spell out its other features.

It ranks fourth because it offers the pet-hair focus of the Shark at a lower price, in the $100 to $200 bucket. The Lift-Off design lets you take the canister with you for stairs and upholstery. It loses ground on the unlisted details, so we cannot compare brush roll design, cord length or tool count with the Shark.

Choose it if you want pet-focused cleaning without the Shark's price. Skip it if you want documented extras such as headlights and a pet power brush.

Filtration

HEPA

Design

Lift-Off pod

Focus

Pet hair

Price bucket

$100 to $200

Our verdict: A lower-cost Lift-Away with HEPA and a pet hair focus.

The Navigator NV356E is a Lift-Away upright with a HEPA filter and a pet hair focus, in white and silver. It is the lower-priced Shark in this ranking, at $100 to $200.

It ranks fifth because it is a simpler machine than the Rotator above: no powered Lift-Away is listed, no headlights and no dedicated pet brush. The core idea is the same, though, with a canister that comes off the base for above-floor cleaning. For a carpeted apartment it covers the basics.

Buy it if you want the Shark approach on a smaller budget. Skip it if you want a powered brush roll when you lift the pod away.

Design

Lift-Away upright

Filtration

HEPA

Focus

Pet hair

Price bucket

$100 to $200

Our verdict: A commercial upright that meets LEED criteria.

The Oreck Commercial Upright is described as LEED compliant, a reference to the green building program that sets rules for cleaning equipment in certified buildings. The listing names few other features.

It ranks sixth because compliance is helpful for offices that chase certification, but it does not tell a homeowner much about carpet performance. Pricing lands alongside the Sanitaire Force at $200 to $500, and that machine offers a more conventional commercial build.

Choose it if a facility needs LEED-compliant equipment. Skip it for home use, where the Shark or Kenmore deliver more.

Class

Commercial upright

Compliance

LEED compliant

Brand

Oreck

Price bucket

$200 to $500

Our verdict: A bagged commercial upright at the lower end of the price range.

The SC679K Tradition is a bagged commercial upright, finished in red, in the $100 to $200 bucket. As with the Force, the listing is light on specs.

It ranks seventh because a bagged commercial machine is a sensible, low-cost way to clean carpet but is not a feature-rich choice. The Tradition name hints at a basic design that trades extras for simplicity. Bags keep dust contained, and replacements for Sanitaire uprights are widely stocked.

Buy it if you want a no-frills bagged upright for plain carpet. Skip it if you have pets or need above-floor tools.

Type

Bagged commercial upright

Series

Tradition

Model

SC679K

Price bucket

$100 to $200

Our verdict: A lightweight bagged upright for those who find heavy vacuums tiring.

The Oreck Commercial XL is a lightweight bagged upright in the $100 to $200 bucket. Lightness is its selling point, and the listing does not name filtration or height adjustment.

It ranks last because weight savings often come with a trade in power or durability, and the listing does not offer evidence either way. It is a plain machine for easy carrying, more suited to hard floors and low pile than deep shag.

Choose it if you struggle to push or carry a heavy upright. Skip it for thick carpet or large homes.

Type

Bagged upright

Weight

Lightweight

Class

Commercial

Price bucket

$100 to $200